About Us

What is AVM Survivors.org?

AVMSurvivors.org is a dedicated patient-to-patient support community for patients and families affected by AVM. AVMSurvivors.org is powered by BensFriends.org, a group of patient support communities for rare diseases, and is run by volunteer moderators who have been affected with AVM.

Who can join AVM Survivors.org?

If you or your family has been affected by AVM, consider AVMSurvivors.org your second home. AVMSurvivors.org, as well as the rest of BensFriends.org’s patient communities, is free for members to join.

What is AVM?

Arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are defects of the circulatory system that are generally believed to arise during embryonic or fetal development or soon after birth. Although AVMs can develop in many different sites, those located in the brain or spinal cord can have especially widespread effects on the body.

What is BensFriends.org?

In 2007, Ben Muñoz suffered a rare form of stroke caused by an Arterio-Veinous Malformation (AVM). He was unable to find the support he needed during the most difficult time, so he created an online support community AVMSurvivors.org to connect with others like him. AVMSurvivors.org led to the founding of BensFriends.org, driven to provide patient-to-patient support communities for people living with rare diseases.

BensFriends.org is a network of patient communities for people living with rare diseases. Launched in November 2007, Bens Friends provides valuable patient support by creating and running compassionate, responsive communities. BensFriends.org maintains dozens of patient communities and has changed thousands of lives. Bens Friends is supported by donations from its principals and community.

You can learn more about BensFriends.org at http://www.bensfriends.org or watch one of our videos at http://www.youtube.com/BensFriendsVideos.